In May 2011, after four years of life on McNutt's Island, we moved to Montreal. This blog remains, though, as a (sort of) daily record of our time on the island, and a winding path for anyone who would like to meander about among its magical places. For additional perspectives and insights I recommend Greg's book, Island Year: Finding Nova Scotia (2010), and my Bowl of Light (2012). I'll continue to post once in a while. If you do want to read this blog, one option would be to begin at the beginning of it (which is, as we all know, in blog-world, at the end), and read forward, concluding with the most recent entry. It's a journal, really, so it does makes more sense if you read it that way. But, you know, read it any way you like.

Pages

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Last night the full moon would be closer to the earth in its orbit than at any time since 1992. Apparently its orbit is not like a bit of industrial machinery, always doing the same thing over and over.

Everything, from the tilt of the earth's axis to the distance between continents and the speed of the earth's rotation, is always changing. Sometimes, as when tectonic plates shift, changes are dramatic, and we notice them. Most of the time they are infinitesimal, and we don't. Changes continue whether or not we pay them any mind. We are being changed, too, since we are a part of the whole cosmic reality, even if only in a very small way.

This morning Greg took these pictures of the close moon.

It was about to set across the western harbour as the sun began to come up through the forest to the east.A few minutes later morning had broken, but the earth still felt the moon's quieter power.Then the last night of winter was over. Today (at 5:21 PM here in Atlantic Time) the sun will cross over the celestial equator, and spring will arrive on McNutt's Island.